Gregory, Lisa by Bonds of Love Page A

arm. He unbuttoned the tiny buttons of her dress,
his burning lips following the trail of his hands. Her bodice undone, he
slipped one hand inside her chemise, cupping and caressing her breasts. He
pulled her to him and turned her sideways, supporting her yielding body against
his chest and arm while he pulled her chemise down and explored her breasts,
his fingers teasing her rosy nipples into hardness. "Beautiful," he
whispered and bent his head to kiss her, his mouth retracing where his hands
had roamed, until she smothered a moan against his chest.
    "Oh,
Katherine," he said shakily, "I take back what I said about Boston
women. There's fire in you." His hand strayed downward, delving through
layers of dress and petticoats and hoop, until his hand rested against her bare
stomach, and she gasped at his touch. He quieted her gasp with his mouth,
kissing her until she felt that she would swoon. She clung to his shirt, awash
in a haze of desire, assaulted by wild, strange feelings she had never
suspected existed. He lost himself in her, her lips and her succulent body
under his hands setting him aflame.
    They
were shaken back into reality by the sound of men's voices coming across the
yard. Her father and the officers! He tore his mouth from hers and stood
staring down into her face, breathing heavily, his face flushed with desire.
She stared back, numb with fright. He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes
for a moment, then slowly released his breath.
    "Get
into that office and put yourself back together. I'll hold them off out here,"
he said tersely.
    She
whirled and raced into her father's office, closing and locking the door behind
her. Hampton threw himself into a chair and assumed a casual air, holding his
hat in his lap to hide the telltale bulge in his trousers. Katherine leaned
against the door and with trembling fingers pulled up her chemise and buttoned
her multitude of tiny pearl buttons.
    The
outside door opened, and she pressed her ear to the door to hear. There was a
great deal of noise of feet entering, then her father's voice saying,
"Where is my daughter?"
    Hampton's
lazy drawl answered him, "Locked herself in that office. Doesn't seem to
fancy my company."
    Katherine
pressed her hands to her burning cheeks. How could he sound so casual and
offhand after what he had done to her! She knew that guilt was written all over
her face. Clumsily she tried to twist her thick hair back into a knot. But all
of her pins lay scattered on the floor in the next room. Hot, scalding tears
slid down her cheeks. Whatever had possessed her? All those horrid, shameful
things he had done to her; she would never be able to hold her head up again.
And she hadn't fought him, hadn't threatened him with her gun, hadn't even
protested! She had just stood there and let him do what he wanted—had even
responded. She thought of the way she had kissed him and clasped her hand
against her mouth. She had actually enjoyed his kisses and caresses, enjoyed
them in a wild way she had never before enjoyed anything. Good Lord, was she a
wanton? One of those loose women proper ladies whispered about?
    In
the room beyond the murmur of voices was broken by Hampton's clear, amused
laugh. "Surely, gentlemen," he said coolly, "you can't really
believe that I will tell you about the waterways around Charleston. Have I ever
given you any reason to think that I am a traitor?"
    Katherine
wished she could hurl a heavy object at him. How could he dare to be so calm
and collected when she was all in disarray and trembling? She couldn't marry
Lieutenant Perkins now—he would be so revolted to discover this vulgar tendency
in her. Only—only perhaps that was what married people did; perhaps Perkins
would be pleased with her as the captain had been. Maybe this sinful streak in
her would be satisfied in marriage. If she did not marry, might not her nature
betray her into doing something awful, perhaps become a "fallen"
woman? Perhaps marriage was the only